Allhiphop | More Radio Stations Likely To Convert To “Classic Hip Hop” Format In 2015

(AllHipHop News) With listeners having outlets like streaming services and satellite radio to hear the type of music they enjoy the most, the influence of traditional radio stations has declined in recent years. According to a report in the New York Times’ ArtBeat blog, one FM format may be on the rise – classic Hip Hop.

Two months ago, Houston’s “Boom 92” KROI-FM became the first major market station to switch over to only playing songs by Hip Hop stars from the 1970’s, 1980’s, and 1990’s. Boom’s audience size instantly went from 245,000 to 802,000, and its Nielsen ratings share jumped from 1.0 to 3.2. The channel’s audience did drop 2.6 percent the second month, but it still pulled in 781,000 listeners.

Other stations in Philadelphia and Dallas also saw audience numbers increase after converting to “Classic Hip Hop.” According to the Times report, radio executives are looking to change more stations across the country to the format in 2015.